The Sacred Dance Guild is a spiritually diverse, international, non-profit organization with a commitment to advocate for dance as a sacred art and to promote dance as a means of spiritual growth and integration of mind, body and spirit.
On behalf of its members, the SDG furthers these goals by providing sacred dance programs and resources, and by promoting sacred dance events.
Click here to download a one-page document that describes our values, mission and membership.
Click here to view the video “What is the Sacred Dance Guild” created at the 2010 Summer Festival.
Click here to view the video “Festival 2020 Highlights” from the SDG’s first on line Festival.
Click here to download the Sacred Dance Guild “rack” card.
Motto
The SDG’s motto is “Dancing the Sacred, Moving the World…”
Values
- We embrace dance as a universal language of the soul.
- We embrace a network of people creating a world of peace, harmony, and justice through movement.
- We embrace people sharing dance anywhere in the world, moving to connect heart, mind, body, and spirit to the divine, alone or in community.
- We honor and celebrate the sacred in dance and movement across all cultures, faiths, and beliefs.
- We envision a world community committed to living life with compassion, creativity and in service of a greater good.
Mission
The SDG connects passionate people globally, from Zanzibar to Arizona, from Canada to Australia, bringing together a vast and diverse community. This inclusive and rich kaleidoscope nurtures the synergy of dynamic exchange through:
- Leading, inspiring, supporting, and sponsoring sacred dance events including festivals, workshops, community events, performances, retreats, and facilitator training.
- Managing a website, social media, an online journal and a sacred dance video series on both Vimeo and YouTube (click links at top of page).
Membership
Our members range from those dancing in their living rooms to those performing on stage including:
- Ethnic, cultural, folk dancers, sacred circle dancers, etc.
- Educators who teach across all sectors of dance and the arts
- Professional dance artists
- Dance therapists, holistic healers, shamans
- People dancing for personal prayer/meditation
- Spiritual leaders – dance ministers, clergy, theologians and sacred ritual facilitators
- Dancers in worship environments – Christian liturgical dance, Hindu temple dance, Jewish sacred dance, Japanese Shinto, African ritual dances, Tantric Buddhist dances, Sufi whirling, Native American ceremonies, Hawaiian Hula Kahiko, and others
- Those who practice movement forms – Tai Chi, Yoga, Authentic Movement, NIA, Pilates, ecstatic dance, conscious dance, Interplay, labyrinth walking, etc.
- Community engagement and social justice advocates
Official dance
The SDG’s official dance is Moving Mysteries – choreography, music and lyrics by Emmalyn Moreno. Click the link above to watch a video on our Vimeo page.
History
In 1956, several movement choir directors from the United States, including Unitarian minister Robert Storer, Mary Jane Wolbers and Margaret Taylor Doane, formed the Eastern Regional Sacred Dance Association. Inspired by the sacred themes introduced by early modern dancers, they hoped to develop and share dances that could be used for worship and prayer.
In 1958, the Eastern Regional Sacred Dance Association changed their name to the Sacred Dance Guild to open up their membership beyond the Northeastern United States. The SDG’s first president was Jane Renz. In June of that year, the SDG held the first Sacred Dance Institute, which was led by Ted Shawn at Jacob’s Pillow in Massachusetts. The Institutes continue today as the SDG’s Sacred Dance Festivals.
The SDG’s early years focused on workshops developing basic sacred dance competencies, such as creative movement and modern choreography. Following its first decade, the SDG began to explore a variety of dance techniques and movement traditions beyond modern dance, such as ballet, jazz, yoga, African dance, Indian temple dance and Sufi whirling. This diversity sparked an interest in new spiritual themes and other religious traditions, such as wholeness, healing, meditation, T’ai Chi, and Jewish mysticism, among others. The SDG maintains this diversity to this day.
Beginning in the late ‘70s and continuing into the ‘80s, the SDG was gratified to see a growth in the number of professional and amateur sacred dancers and companies, as well as new educational programs and resources. The SDG continues its historic work of promoting dance as a sacred art today, through its online presence, and its programs, resources and events.
The SDG’s history is recorded in more detail in three books:
● And We Have Danced: A History of the Sacred Dance Guild 1958-1978, by Carlynn Reed (1978)
● And We Have Danced, Volume 2: A History of the Sacred Dance Guild 1978-1994, by Toni Intravaia (1994)
● And We Have Danced, Volume 3: A History of the Sacred Dance Guild 50th Anniversary, by Toni Intravaia (2008)
Member – CID
The Sacred Dance Guild is a member of the International Dance Council (Counseil International de la Dance), visit International Dance Council – CID UNESCO (cid-world.org)
Archive
The archives of the SDG are included in the Milne Special Collections located at the Diamond Library at the University of New Hampshire. To consult the collection, visit www.library.unh.edu/special/index.php/sacred-dance-guild.
Governance
The SDG is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors, administered by Next Wave Group and governed by its bylaws (PDF).
Charitable Status
The SDG is a 501(3)c charitable organization in the United States. Its Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)/Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 02-0270736.